Digitization is penetrating all areas of life and networking people, machines and processes. This is creating immense opportunities for the German economy.
Digitization

About the topic
In Germany, it has triggered a profound structural change in all areas of the economy and society. This digital transformation holds enormous opportunities, and they must be exploited - including, but not limited to, the automation and networking of value creation processes under the buzzword Industry 4.0. Autonomization in particular, i.e. enabling machines to organize, repair and optimize themselves, opens up extensive opportunities.
The prerequisites for digital transformation are nationwide high-speed networks and an unbureaucratic and capital-rich innovation environment. Employees also face challenges: Companies must identify the new requirements for employee qualifications and train employees accordingly. In addition, companies, especially from the SME sector, must drive digitization more strongly in their own operations, for example by refining their business models and developing new ones, for example in cooperation with startups. On this page you will find various topics and current studies from the field of digitization.
German Economic Institute (IW)
The anti‑steering provision of Article 5 (4) of the DMA: a law and economics assessment on the business model of gatekeepers and business users
Data is a success factor for digital platforms and the core of their business model. The rationale behind this is that data allows for improving the matching process between users which creates value for the platform.
IW
To share or not to share: Regulating Data Brokers
Data has become an increasingly important input in the economy. Hence, data and access to data play an increasingly key role in the global economy and for innovation and are crucial for the competitiveness of companies and the EU economy.
IW

Nothing to do with data?: Data utilisation potentials for companies
If companies want to survive on the market in the long term, they cannot avoid the topic of data.
IW

Influencer dream job: Likes, views and the great fortune?
The Creator Economy is booming: more and more companies use content creators to promote their products, and more and more people want to become content creators themselves, i.e. create their own digital content, make it available to a growing audience on ...
IW
Our Experts

Dr. Vera Demary
Head of Digitalisation and Climate Action Research Unit
Tel: +49 221 4981-749 Mail: vera.demary@iwkoeln.de
Barbara Engels
Senior Economist for Sustainable Digitalisation
Tel: +49 221 4981-703 Mail: engels@iwkoeln.de @BarEngels
Dr. Christian Rusche
Senior Economist for Competition and Structural Change
Tel: +49 221 4981-412 Mail: rusche@iwkoeln.de