Markus Demary ·
IW-Kurzbericht No. 3 ·
14 January 2021

Will COVID-19 Cause Insolvencies, Zombification or Debt Deleveraging?

The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the financial positions of many companies. For the next months, a wave of insolvencies, a zombification caused by rescue measures or a debt deleveraging are on the table. Which of the three scenarios will dominate, depends, however, on the efficiency of restructuring measures.

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Alexander Burstedde / Ruth Maria Schüler ·
IW-Trends No. 4 ·
6 January 2021

Are Wages in Germany Responsive to Skilled Labour Shortages?

The demographic transition is confronting Germany with a growing shortage of skilled workers. In a simple, static labour market model, wages in occupations where the demand for labour is high should rise at an above-average rate to restore market equilibrium.

Dominik Enste / Julia Wildner / Lucia Nafziger ·
IW-Report No. 1 ·
1 January 2021

Going green with behavioural economics: How to combine business and ethics

This paper calls for an increased discourse between Fridays for Future and representatives of business. Fridays for Future play a key role in educating the public and raising awareness of scientific reports, such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessment, which demonstrate the urgency with which we must tackle climate change.

Susanna Kochskämper / Silvia Neumeister / Maximilian Stockhausen ·
IW-Trends No. 4 ·
28 December 2020

Who Nurses When and How Much?: An Inventory of Home Nursing Care in Germany

German society is ageing and the need for nursing care is increasing. In 2017, just under 5 million people claimed to be providing nursing care in a private setting. An analysis of the data from the Socio-Economic Panel provides a heterogeneous picture of how the home care burden is shared.

Jürgen Matthes / Galina Kolev ·
IW-Policy Paper No. 28 ·
21 December 2020

RCEP: What the trade agreement means for the EU and the German economy

RCEP is relevant for Europe, but it is over-estimated in some respects. Compared with EU trade agreements, trade liberalisation remains low. This is mainly because, already before, about five sixths of intraregional trade took place between partners under bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs), so that tariffs reduction is low overall.

Updated Findings on the Potential Employment Effects of Digitalisation

Oliver Stettes ·
IW-Trends No. 4 ·
16 December 2020

(No) Fear of Robots?

The effect of digital technologies on employment remains diffuse. Recent empirical analyses at the establishment and occupational levels certainly find no evidence that the digital transition has led, or will lead, to systematic job cuts.

Results of the IW Survey of Further Training 2020

Susanne Seyda / Beate Placke ·
IW-Trends No. 4 ·
16 December 2020

Continuing Vocational Training Goes on Growing

The latest IW Survey of Further Training shows that 87.9 per cent of companies in Germany offer their employees continuing vocational training. In 2019, an average of 18.3 hours per employee was spent acquiring additional skills in this way, a full hour more than in 2016.

An Analysis of Socio-economic Aspects of Internal Migration Based on the Microcensus

Wido Geis-Thöne ·
IW-Trends No. 4 ·
14 December 2020

The Highly Qualified Move More Frequently Between Regions

Very little is yet known about the socio-economic aspects of internal migration, as migration statistics report merely age, sex, nationality and where the move was to and from. Only since the 2017 survey has the German microcensus included a compulsory question regarding place of residence the previous year, making it useful for studies on internal migration.

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The German Economic Institute (IW) is a private economic research institute in Germany, which is an advocate of a liberal economic and social order. We work to improve understanding of how business and society function and interact.