Purpose / Context – Studies of building design and economic feasibility for energy-efficient refurbishments often utilise average temperatures for the heated space in a dwelling. As even small deviations have a significant impact on the resulting energy demand, an occupant-centred simulation is necessary for more precise evaluations and recommendations. Methodology / Approach – An Agent-based...

Purpose / Context – Political topics like energy efficiency and climate protection are en vogue. There are manifold funding programmes, but since these are bound to the goals of the respective programmes, the implemented projects do not adequately consider integrative aspects. It is necessary to analyse the purpose of those funding programs and to bring...

Anniversaries are opportunities for reflection and re-evaluation. In recent weeks, news media around the world have commemorated and reassessed the events of late August and early September 2015 that led to the arrival of hundreds of thousands of refugees and asylum seekers, and their initially enthusiastic reception, in Germany. In Germany itself, the anniversary dominated...

Description This paper looks at firms’ motivation for training apprentices in both Australia and Germany. The study explores how these countries compare when dealing with their respective institutional arrangements for apprenticeship training. It then analyses Australian employer's commitment to training based on changes to incentive payments in Australia. Overall, the paper finds that institutional frameworks...

The research finds that Austria demonstrates a model of a successful federally legislated housing system. It has a national level legislative framework outlining the business model for not-for-profit housing provision, establishing cost rent setting rules and delineating conditions for the use of direct and indirect subsidies. This ensures contestability and transparency in the allocation and...