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Information on the Latin Monetary Union is presented. In 1865, to achieve monetary union without political union, France, Belgium, Italy and Switzerland decided to use the French franc as their common unit of account, while nominally retaining their own national metal currencies of gold and silver coins. The system faced pressure when Italy printed paper money. The Union collapsed 20 years after its inception when Germany centralized control of paper money.

This paper reports on the wave of new literature presented by scholars from disciplines spanning management, finance, strategy, sociology, geography and economics that sheds new light on the role of entrepreneurship in Germany. This paper also explores two broad issues: How entrepreneurial is Germany and is it entrepreneurial enough? The author explores the links between characteristics specific to individuals and entrepreneurial activity. The author also explores environmental characteristics and the impact that the industry has on entrepreneurial activity. Lastly, the author explores the impact of the government on entrepreneurial activity, in terms of finance, start-up programs and regional programs. In conclusion, the author notes that researchers have recognized the important contributions of SMEs to the German economy.

The article focuses on the social costs of electricity generation in Germany. The paper presents results of a research project on the total costs to society induced by different technologies for electric power production in the Federal Republic of Germany and conclusions of the latest international discussion on the topic. The problem of electricity costs is looked upon from a macroeconomic perspective including the internal costs as well as the social costs of electricity production. The paper focuses on conventional electricity generation on the basis of fossil and nuclear fuels on the one side and on wind and photovoltaic electricity as examples for renewable energy sources on the other.

This paper offers a broad overview of the papers contained in Part II of "The Blackwell Handbook of Entrepreneurship," in the section titled "Government Impacts on Entrepreneurship." The papers included are "SME Policy in Europe," "Entrepreneurship in Germany," "Regulatory Policies and Their Impact on SMEs in Europe: the Case of Administrative Burdens," "The Climate for Entrepreneurship in European Countries in Transition," and "Six Steps to Heaven: Evaluating the Impact of Public Policies to Support Small Businesses in Developed Economies.".

This paper explores what small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) policy is about, how it is pursued in Europe, and the differences between the European countries. According to the author, the overall objectives of SME policy are to create employment, foster economic growth, improve competitiveness, and regional/structural development. The SME-related policy pursued in most European countries involves a collection of various objectives and fields of economic policy rather than a conceptual framework. The author discusses the various approaches of SME policy that take place in the following European countries: Germany, Spain, Portugal, Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Denmark, France, and Belgium. The author also discusses the variation of instruments used in the following fields of SME policy: start-ups, finance, exports and internationalization, information, research and development, labor, and red tape.

The chapter details a paper which compares the distinction of public and private employee social benefits in the U.S. and the Federal Republic of Germany. The U.S. data show clearly the major importance of private sector employee social benefits which are voluntary or negotiated. While state social welfare programs become a general condition of employment, private sector employee social benefits are most associated with larger firms. The data on employee compensation in manufacturing in West Germany reflect the overwhelming predominance of the public system of employee benefits.

An encyclopedia entry for "The Führer" is presented. It focuses on the story of Adolf Hitler's half-niece Geli Raubal, who was found dead in her bedroom at an apartment she shared with Hitler in Munich, Germany on September 19, 1931. It relates that on the day Raubal died, she and Hitler had quarreled violently over whether she could leave for Vienna, Austria. Details of an investigation on whether it was a murder or suicide are provided. Also noted was the effort of journalist Fritz Gerlich to reveal the truth in his paper.