Studies

Scientific Publications of the Cologne Institute for Economic Research: IW-Trends, IW policy papers, IW-Analysen, IW-Studien, IW-Reports, IW-Kurzberichte and Expertises. Read more about our Approach to Research.

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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.

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.

IW-Report No. 38 11. September 2026

Making Apprenticeships a Success: From Marketing to Hiring

Paula Risius / Dirk Werner / Philip Herzer / Fritz Orange / Regina Flake / Franziska Arndt / Yasin Küçükyavuz / Edgar Schmitz

In-company vocational training is a key factor in securing skilled labour. The first step in investing in future employees is to approach and recruit new apprentices. For many companies, filling the apprenticeship positions they offer is a challenge.

Expertise 11. September 2026

Transatlantic Subnational Innovation Competitiveness Index 3.0

Axel Plünnecke et al

Innovation and competitiveness drive productivity, economic growth, and welfare growth.

External Publication 9. September 2026

GTIPA Perspectives: Making AI Policy to Drive Innovation

Vera Demary

Germany’s federal structure leads to a diverse landscape of AI policies across the country. While the EU AI Act establishes a general framework for AI policy throughout the continent, Germany’s federal government is responsible for national AI policies.

Expertise 8. September 2026

AI skills demand in the EU

Jan Büchel / Jan Engler / Armin Mertens

More and more companies in Europe are using artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. In 2025, one in five companies in the EU with 10 employees or more used at least one major AI technology, up from 8% in 2023 (Eurostat, 2026a).

Expertise 25. August 2026

European Minimum Wage Directive and Strengthening Collective Bargaining Coverage

Hagen Lesch / Lennart Eckle / Sandra Vogel

The EU Minimum Wage Directive recommends that EU Member States achieve a collective bargaining coverage of 80 per cent to ensure adequate minimum wages.

IW-Trends No. 2 6. August 2026

Critical Raw Materials: Corporate Exposure, Supply Risks and Adaptation Strategies

Adriana Neligan / Cornelius Bähr / Hubertus Bardt / Edgar Schmitz

Critical raw materials are vital inputs for key technologies and thus for industrial competitiveness.

External Publication 5. August 2026

Securing Energy Supply While Advancing Climate Goals

Andreas Fischer in Intereconomics

Europe faces a dual challenge: eliminating lingering dependencies on energy imports while simultaneously accelerating the transformation towards climate neutrality.

IW-Report No. 35 23. July 2026

Collective bargaining coverage and functional income distribution in international comparison

Christoph Schröder

The study examines whether a high level of collective bargaining coverage influences the functional income distribution between companies and employees.

Understanding Science

The scientific work of the German Economic Institute is independent and solution-oriented, internationally networked and socially relevant, methodologically open and interdisciplinary. We address the scientific discourse of experts, the general public as well as opinion leaders in politics, business and society. We want to be an audible voice in the economic policy discourse in Germany.
Our work is innovative and confronts the scientific discourse: On the basis of scientifically recognized standards, we apply new methods, use new data sets, discuss new arguments and provide solution-oriented answers to current questions in economic analysis and economic policy. Our statements are theoretically founded and, where it is methodologically and empirically possible, evidence-based. We ensure that both the data basis and the methodological approaches are comprehensible. Modern methods of empirical economic and social research are as much a part of our tools as in-depth analyses of the institutional and political-economic conditions of economic developments.
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