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Barbara Engels

Barbara Engels

Senior Economist for Sustainable Digitalisation

Tel: +49 221 4981-703
  • Bachelor studies in Economics at the Humboldt University Berlin and the Universitat Pompeu Fabra Barcelona
  • Master studies in Economics at Humboldt University Berlin and New York University
  • Professional background: Advisor at the German-Israeli Chamber of Industry and Commerce (AHK Israel), freelance journalist (e.g. for dpa), student assistant at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW), Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Humboldt University Berlin.
  • Research interests: economic and societal impacts of digitalization (data economy, platform economy).

IW Publications

Engels, Barbara / Röhl, Klaus-Heiner, 2023, Innovation durch Kooperation. Wie Mittelstand und Start-ups in der Automobilbranche kooperieren, Studie in Kooperation mit dem VDA – Verband der Automobilindustrie e.V., IW-Report, Nr. 30, Köln / Berlin
Zur Studie

Röhl, Klaus-Heiner / Bardt, Hubertus / Engels, Barbara, 2023, A New Era for the Defense Industry? Security Policy and Defense Capability after the Russian Invasion of Ukraine, IW-Policy Paper, Nr. 2, Berlin / Köln
Zur Studie

Büchel, Jan / Engels, Barbara, 2022, Viele Unternehmen sind nicht bereit für die Datenwirtschaft, IW-Kurzbericht, Nr. 96, Köln
Zur Studie

Büchel, Jan / Engels, Barbara, 2022, Branchentrends beim Data Sharing. Status Quo und Use Cases in Deutschland, IW-Report, Nr. 53, Köln
Zur Studie

Röhl, Klaus-Heiner / Bardt, Hubertus / Engels, Barbara, 2022, Zeitenwende für die Verteidigungswirtschaft? Sicherheitspolitik und Verteidigungsfähigkeit nach der russischen Invasion der Ukraine, IW-Policy Paper, Nr. 4, Berlin / Köln
Zur Studie

Engels, Barbara, 2022, Nachhaltige Digitalisierung. Ein digitalökonomisches Konzept, IW-Policy Paper, Nr. 3, Köln
Zur Studie

Jan Büchel / Barbara Engels, 2022, Datenbewirtschaftung von Unternehmen in Deutschland, in: IW-Trends, 49. Jg., Nr. 1, S. 73-90
Zur Studie

Drehstuhlschnittstellen der deutschen Industrie – Befunde auf Basis einer explorativen Unternehmensbefragung
IW-Report 20/2019

Werbung – Online ist oft teurer, aber auch präziser
IW-Kurzbericht 57/2018

Datenschutzpräferenzen von Jugendlichen in Deutschland - Ergebnisse einer Schülerbefragung
IW-Trends 2/2018

(in cooperation with Hubertus Bardt, Wido Geis, Tobias Hentze, Hans-Peter Klös, Susanna Kochskämper, Jürgen Matthes, Jochen Pimpertz, Axel Plünnecke, Thomas Puls, Thilo Schaefer, Oliver Stettes, Michael Voigtländer, Dirk Werner)
Fiskalische Effekte des Koalitionsvertrags 2018
IW policy papers 5/2018

Online-Meeting statt Dienstreise – Unternehmen könnten 8,3 Mrd. Euro sparen
IW-Kurzbericht 7/2018

(in cooperation with Mara Grunewald)
Das Privacy Paradox – Digitalisierung versus Privatsphäre
IW-Kurzbericht 57/2017

Bedeutung von Standards für die digitale Transformation – Befunde auf Basis des IW-Zukunftspanels
IW-Trends 2/2017

Wirtschaftliche Kosten der Cyberspionage für deutsche Unternehmen – Cybersicherheit als Grundvoraussetzung der digitalen Transformation
IW policy papers 6/2017

Big-Data-Analyse – Ein Einstieg für Ökonomen
IW-Kurzbericht 78/2016

(in cooperation with Vera Demary, Klaus-Heiner Röhl, Christian Rusche)
Digitalisierung und Mittelstand – Eine Metastudie
IW-Analyse, Forschungsbericht Nr. 109

Nicht immer gut – Datenportabilität zwischen Online-Plattformen
IW-Kurzbericht 56/2016

Expertises

Büchel, Jan / Engels, Barbara, 2022, Digitalisierungsindex 2022. Digitalisierung der Wirtschaft in Deutschland, Kurzfassung der Ergebnisse des Digitalisierungsindex im Rahmen des Projekts „Entwicklung und Messung der Digitalisierung der Wirtschaft am Standort Deutschland“ im Auftrag des Bundesministeriums für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz (BMWK), Köln
Zur Studie

(in cooperation with Vera Demary, Manuel Fritsch, Henry Goecke, Alevtina Krotova,  Christian Rusche, Marc Scheufen, Christopher Thiele, Karl Lichtblau, Edgar Schmitz, Boris Otto, Tobias Korte, Can Azkan, Markus Spiekermann, Dominik Lis, Joshua Gelhaar, Lennart Iggenna, Lukas Maisel, Bernd Trautmann,  Jens Fiedler,  Osianoh Aliu,  Pascal Bresser, Nils Müller)
Data Economy. Status quo der deutschen Wirtschaft & Handlungsfelder in der Data Economy
Studie für das Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie (BMWi), 2019

(in cooperation with Alexander Burstedde, Wido Geis, Hanno Kempermann, Matthias Niendorf, Thomas Puls, Klaus-Heiner Röhl, Christopher Thiele)
Die Zukunft des Ruhrgebiets – Wirtschaftliche Lage und Potenziale des größten deutschen Ballungsraumes
Gutachten für die Landesvereinigung der Unternehmensverbände NRW (unternehmer nrw), 2018

(in cooperation with Matthias Ammann, Fabian Schnell, Clemens Wallner))
Max Weber in der Digitalisierungsfalle? E-Government in Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz
Gutachten im Auftrag von Avenir Suisse, 2018

(in cooperation with Christoph Busch, Vera Demary, Justus Haucap, Christiane Kehder, Ina Loebert, Christian Rusche)
Sharing Economy im Wirtschaftsraum Deutschland
Gutachten im Auftrag des Bundesministeriums für Wirtschaft und Energie, 2018

(in cooperation with Martin Beznoska, Tobias Hentze, Axel Plünnecke, Thomas Puls, Thilo Schaefer, Björn Seipelt, Christopher Thiele, Michael Voigtländer)
Wirtschaftsstandort Hessen – Bestandsaufnahme und Handlungsempfehlungen
Gutachten für die Vereinigung der Hessischen Unternehmerverbände, 2018

(in cooperation with Michael Voigtländer)
Digitalisierung und Immobilienfinanzierung – Potenziale und Perspektiven
Gutachten für die TXS GmbH, 2017

(in cooperation with Vera Demary, Christian Rusche)
Qualitative und quantitative Auswirkungen der Sharing Economy in Nordrhein-Westfalen
Gutachten für das Ministerium für Wirtschaft, Energie, Industrie, Mittelstand und Handwerk des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen, 2016

(in cooperation with Vera Demary)
Collaborative Business Models and Efficiency – Potential Efficiency Gains in the European Union
Impulse Paper for the European Commission, 2016

(in cooperation with Tobias Hentze, Axel Plünnecke, Thomas Puls, Klaus-Heiner Röhl)
Die wirtschaftliche Situation Nordrhein-Westfalens – Bestandsaufnahme und Handlungsempfehlungen
Gutachten für die Landesvereinigung der Unternehmensverbände Nordrhein-Westfalen unternehmer nrw, 2016

External Publications

Büchel, Jan / Engels, Barbara, 2022, The Importance of the Data Economy for Europe’s Digital Strategic Autonomy, in: European Liberal Forum (Hg.), Decoding EU Digital Strategic Autonomy. Sectors, Issues, and Partners, Techno-Politics Series, No.1, S. 13-18
Zur Studie

Data Governance as the Enabler of the Data Economy
Intereconomics, vol. 54, no. 4, 2019, pp. 216–222

(in cooperation with Christoph Busch, Vera Demary, Christiane Kehder, Ina Loebert,
Christian Rusche)
Sharing Economy in Deutschland, Stellenwert und Regulierungsoptionen für Beherbungsdienstleistungen
Nomos Verlag, Baden-Baden, 2019

Lost in Translation: the Role of Standards for the Digital Transformation
CCSBE/CCPME Conference Proceedings, Quebec City, 2017, pp. 300–315

(in cooperation with Johannes Geyer, Peter Haan)
Pension incentives and early retirement
Labour Economics, Vol. 47, 2017, p. 216–231

Detours on the Path to a European Big Data Economy
Springer Nature, http://rdcu.be/uR9L, 2017

Data Portability and Online Platforms The Effects on Competition [Extended Abstract]
29th Bled eConference - Research Volume, 2016

Data portability among online platforms
Internet Policy Review, 5. Jg., Nr. 2, DOI: 10.14763/2016.2.408

More from Barbara Engels

Read study
How SMEs and start-ups cooperate in the automotive industry
IW-Report No. 30 23. May 2023

How SMEs and start-ups cooperate in the automotive industry

Barbara Engels / Klaus-Heiner Röhl

Cooperation between established companies and start-ups offers expanded opportunities to innovate and drive the digitalization of the economy.

IW

Read study
Security Policy and Defense Capability after the Russian Invasion of Ukraine
IW-Policy Paper No. 1 3. February 2023

A New Era for the Defense Industry?

Klaus-Heiner Röhl / Hubertus Bardt / Barbara Engels

The Russian attack on Ukraine has brought the question of the German Armed Forces’ operational capability back into focus. National defense, which seemed to play only a minor role with the end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact and the Soviet Union in 1991, now has gained a higher political priority again.

IW

Read study
Expertise
Digitalisation of the Economy in Germany
Expertise 14. December 2022

Digitalisation Index 2022: Digitalisation of the Economy in Germany

Jan Büchel / Barbara Engels

The economy in Germany becomes only slightly more digital in 2022 compared to 2021: The Digitalisation Index rises from 107.9 to 108.9 points. Following the sharp rise in 2021, digitalisation can be said to stagnate in 2022.

IW

Read study
Most companies are not data economy ready
IW-Kurzbericht No. 96 8. December 2022

Most companies are not data economy ready

Jan Büchel / Barbara Engels

Data is the central resource of the digital transformation. It underlies all digital processes, transactions and interactions. The use of this data is key to innovation and sustainable growth (BMWK, 2022). Currently, however, many companies in Germany do not meet the requirements to be able to use data efficiently. This is shown by a survey of 1,051 companies from industry and industry-related service providers.

IW

Read study
Status Quo and Use Cases in Germany
IW-Report No. 53 20. October 2022

Industry trends in data sharing: Status Quo and Use Cases in Germany

Jan Büchel / Barbara Engels

Data is generated everywhere along the value chain. Each player produces data specifically or as a by-product at various points in the production process. This data can offer significant benefits for the companies themselves and for the economy as a whole.

IW

Read study
Security Policy and Defense Capability after the Russian Invasion of Ukraine
IW-Policy Paper No. 4 15. August 2022

A new era for the Defense Economy?

Klaus-Heiner Röhl / Hubertus Bardt / Barbara Engels

The Russian attack on Ukraine has brought the question of the German Armed Forces’ operational capability back into focus. National defence, which seemed to play only a minor role with the end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact and the Soviet Union in 1991, now has gained a high political priority again.

IW

Read study
A digital economic concept
IW-Policy Paper No. 3 8. August 2022

Sustainable Digitalization: A digital economic concept

Barbara Engels

Data usage, networking, automation and autonomization: digitalization is omnipresent. But what is digitalization for? It is not an end in itself. It is intended to serve people, to help them achieve greater prosperity.

IW

Read study
External Publication
The Importance of the Data Economy for Europe’s Digital Strategic Autonomy
External Publication 4. July 2022

The Importance of the Data Economy for Europe’s Digital Strategic Autonomy

Jan Büchel / Barbara Engels in European Liberal Forum

European companies need to have the ability to store, process, use, and share data securely and autonomously, for example by using cloud services based on agreed quality standards, values, and legislation.

IW

Read study
An Empirical Stocktaking
IW-Trends No. 1 19. April 2022

Data Management by Companies in Germany: An Empirical Stocktaking

Jan Büchel / Barbara Engels

Companies that exploit their own data can use it to analyse and improve their business processes and thus improve their results. Firms can also benefit from using data jointly with other companies.

IW

Read study
Expertise
Differentiated Treatment of Business Users by Online Platforms
Expertise 24. September 2020

Differentiated Treatment of Business Users by Online Platforms

Vera Demary / Barbara Engels / Christian Rusche

Online platforms have gained importance in the past couple of years. They are present all over the world and in many sectors of the economy. Their main purpose is to facilitate transactions between various user groups. Hence, online platforms can be defined as online spaces in which users are brought together by a platform operator, in order to facilitate an interaction (the exchange of information, a commercial transaction, etc.).

IW

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