International Economics and Economic Outlook After the sovereign debt crisis in the euro area and the Brexit referendum, priority must be given to putting economic policy in Europe on an optimal course without setting the wrong long-term incentives. One of the key questions is whether deeper integration is really essential for bringing stability to the euro area. Moreover, the EU needs to sort out its future, particularly regarding issues like a more variable geometry, the EU budget and its regional policy.
In addition, our researchers analyse the business cycle and investigate other macroeconomic issues. For example, given the demografic change and the currently slow productivity growth, we examine the prospects for growth and investment in Germany, Europe and the world. This is an issue closely connected with the future viability of the German business model with its heavy bias towards exports.
The economists in this research unit also take an active part in economic policy debates, be it discussion of the German current account surplus, Germany’s attractiveness as a location for investment or the threat to open markets by Brexit and Trumponomics.
Content element with id 9045
Sections of the Research Unit
Content element with id 9267
Content element with id 3017 Content element with id 9264
Current topics in this policy area include Brexit, the consequences of globalisation, as well as German and European competitiveness.
Content element with id 3018 Content element with id 9265
The research unit leads and contributes to the IW’s semi-annual economic outlook for Germany and the international economy. Furthermore, we analyse economic growth and structural change from a macroeconomic perspective.
Content element with id 8970 Content element with id 9266
Current topics in this policy area include Brexit, the consequences of globalisation, as well as German and European competitiveness.
Content element with id 3384
Cooperation Partners
Association of European Conjuncture Institutes (AIECE)
International Network for Economic Research (INFER)
China's digital policy: a threat to European business models
Vera Demary / Jürgen Matthes
China is making great strides in regulating digitization. Some aspects are similar to European approaches, but Chinese laws on data security and protection go much further. This may result in a threat to European business models.
Key Issues for Reforming the World Trade Organization
Jürgen Matthes / Kyungjin Song / Chris Hattingh / Stephen Ezell / Philip Thompson
The members of the Global Trade & Innovation Policy Alliance (GTIPA), a network of over 40 think tanks in 26 nations, have come together to articulate a positive vision that trade, globalization, and innovation—if conducted on private enterprise-led, market-based, rules governed terms—can maximize welfare for the world’s citizens (GTIPA, 2017).
Jürgen Matthes / Kyungjin Song / Chris Hattingh / Stephen Ezell / Philip Thompson IW
The transatlantic economic relations and their outstanding significance for the future of the European and the German economy
Galina Kolev
The EU and the US remain each other’s most important economic partners, despite the con-frontative course of the Trump administration and China’s rise as a global economic power. This is particularly the case as interconnectedness and the role of foreign affiliates in exchanging know-how and services have been gaining importance as the very fundamentals of future globalization.
Supply bottlenecks and price developments for raw materials and inputs
Hubertus Bardt / Matthias Diermeier / Michael Grömling / Michael Hüther / Thomas Obst
Having experienced strict economic lockdowns, the post-pandemic period various sectors report severe supply side bottlenecks and price increases for intermediate goods.
Hubertus Bardt / Matthias Diermeier / Michael Grömling / Michael Hüther / Thomas Obst IW
This website uses necessary cookies to ensure the operation of the website. An analysis of user behavior by third parties does not take place. You can find detailed information about the use of cookies in our privacy policy.
