1. Home
  2. Institute
  3. Main research topics
  4. Big Data Analytics
Content element with id 11133

Big Data Analytics

The Big Data Analytics Research Unit looks at the opportunities offered by analyses of Big Data. Read more about the focus of this research group.

Content element with id 11127

Digital sensors, the Internet of Things and social platforms are among the phenomena which nowadays generate a constant stream of new data. As the volume of this data increases at an ever-faster pace, more and more use is being made of Big Data analyses, which allow an unprecedented potential to be exploited in many areas of the economy. However, the generation and meaningful use of this wealth of information requires special technologies, approaches and systems. Our Big Data Analytics team tackles various aspects of Big Data with a focus on economic issues.

Special Focus

  • We specialise in the processing of structured and unstructured data generated by new methods and technologies. These include internet search queries, content from websites (job advertisements, invitations to tender, newspapers, prices) and information from social media.
  • Application to economic issues of Big Data methods such as machine learning with deep learning, data mining, natural language processing, time series analysis, etc.
  • Application of Big Data to business cycle research
  • Augmenting official statistics, for example for the labour market
  • Data economics including context-dependent economic analysis of law
  • Examples of current research
  • The Big Data Cooperation Cluster uses a wide range of analytical methods and approaches. In principle, Big Data methods can be applied to all pertinent economic issues. A typical example is the use of text analysis to analyse networks as in the case given here referring to the German players in Covid 19 research.

Contact Persons

All news

1538 results
Sort by:
Read study
Event 14. October 2026 Alexander Radunz

Expert Workshop on the Industrial Accelerator Act

The German Economic Institute (IW) and Frontier Economics are pleased to invite you to a rapporteur & stakeholder workshop on the Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA) in Brussels.

Read study
German Foreign Investment and the debate over Germany as a business location
IW-Report No. 39 6. October 2026

German Foreign Investment and the debate over Germany as a business location

Samina Sultan / Jürgen Matthes

Geopolitical pressure and the debate over Germany’s competitiveness make it necessary to develop a more precise understanding of German foreign direct investment. This report provides a comprehensive empirical analysis and also examines the implications for Germany as a business location.

Read study
The Honesty-Attitude-Behavior Gap: A Cross-Country Comparison
IW-Trends No. 3 29. September 2026

The Honesty-Attitude-Behavior Gap: A Cross-Country Comparison

Dominik Enste / Jennifer Potthoff / Augustin Renz

Honesty reduces transaction costs and is therefore a prerequisite for effective economic cooperation.

Read study
Event 28. September 2026 Sandra Parthie / Alexander Radunz

Online-Veranstaltungsreihe „Von Brüssel nach Berlin”: Regionalentwicklung und Industriepolitik

Wir laden Sie herzlich zu einer weiteren Online-Veranstaltung unserer Veranstaltungsreihe „Von Brüssel nach Berlin“ ein. Mit ihr wollen wir in loser Folge Themen aus der europäischen in die deutsche Hauptstadt tragen.

Read study
Complementary Capabilities for Circular Practices: Firm-Level Evidence in Germany on the Role of Digitalization and Innovation
External Publication 16. September 2026

Complementary Capabilities for Circular Practices: Firm-Level Evidence in Germany on the Role of Digitalization and Innovation

Sarah Lichtenthäler / Adriana Neligan in Journal of Circular Economy

The transition to a circular economy (CE) requires firms to reconfigure business models, processes and capabilities.

Content element with id 9713