Corona

A SARS-CoV-2 infection can have long-term health consequences, a phenomenon commonly known as Long COVID, which often affect individuals of working age.

Mareike Decker / Carolin Fulda / Maisun Lange IW

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all areas of our lives. Among other outcomes, the academic literature and popular media both discuss the potential effects of the pandemic on fertility. As fertility is an important determinant of population development and population forecasts are important for policy decisions and planning, we need to address to which extent fertility forecasts performed before the pandemic still apply.

Patrizio Vanella / Arthur L. Greil / Philipp Deschermeier IW

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the vulnerability of international supply chains and the dependency of the economy of the European Union (EU) on goods from non-EU countries. The scarcity of microchips that has persisted since the COVID lockdowns has laid bare the dependency of the EU on overseas producers of this essential high-tech product.

Hubertus Bardt / Klaus-Heiner Röhl / Christian Rusche in The Economists' Voice IW

Over the past two years the Covid19 pandemic has presented the German economy with major challenges, with the personal services sector just as severely affected as manufacturing.

Johannes Ewald / Vanessa Hünnemeyer / Hanno Kempermann IW

Contrary to what the German government seems to be aiming for, a reform of the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP) is necessary. The debt reduction rule forces highly indebted euro countries to reduce their debt too quickly and too damagingly for growth.

Jürgen Matthes IW