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Call for Papers: RFBerlin Migration Forum 2027

CReAM@RFBerlin invites submissions for the third RFBerlin Migration Forum, on migration, integration, and economic competitiveness, with keynotes by Jens Hainmueller (Stanford) and Giovanni Peri (UC Davis).
Submission deadline: 8 November 2026.

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The ROCKWOOL Foundation Berlin Institute for the Economy and the Future of Work (RFBerlin) engages in research designed to raise the standard of public debate and create the best possible basis for policy making.

Equity, Inclusion & Opportunity
Equity, Inclusion & Opportunity
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Migration & Global Collaboration
Migration & Global Collaboration
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CReAM @ RFBerlin
Technology, Trade & Human Capital
Technology, Trade & Human Capital
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Discussion papers

No. 290/26 - October 2026

Early Decisions, Long-Lasting Consequences: The Macroeconomics of School Tracking

Lukas Mahler, Suzanne Bellue

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No. 289/26 - October 2026

Evaluating Maternity Leave Reforms When RD Fails

Clara von Bismarck-Osten, Andrei Zeleneev

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No. 288/26 - October 2026

Workplace Peer Effects in Fertility Decisions

Maria De Paola, Roberto NisticΓ², Vincenzo Scoppa

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No. 287/26 - October 2026

Firms, Regularization, and Immigrant Integration

Lukas Delgado-Prieto

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Research Insights

Concise, research-based articles for scholars,
policymakers, and anyone curious about the world.

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No. 42/26 - October 2026

Collective Bargaining Between Protection and Flexibility: Lessons from Germany and Italy

How much flexibility should firms have to depart from collectively negotiated wages and working conditions? The experiences of Germany and Italy show both the benefits and the risks of decentralizing collective bargaining.

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No. 41/26 - October 2026

When a Younger Sibling Has a Disability, Older Children Pay a Mental Health Price

About one in fourteen Danish families has a child with a physical disability, such as a heart defect, epilepsy or cerebral palsy. Caring for that child takes time, money and emotional energy. What happens to the brothers and sisters who grow up alongside them?

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No. 40/26 - October 2026

How Municipal Budgets Respond to Revenue Gains and Losses

How do local governments use additional funds, and how do they adjust to revenue cuts? These questions are central to the design of fiscal equalization schemes and of large public investment programs that channel funds to municipalities. They are difficult to answer, however, because transfers typically respond to local conditions.

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CReAM Reports

Data-driven reports on migration and related economic and social trends, highlighting the latest developments across Europe and beyond.

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No. 6/26 - July 2026

Employment of Immigrants in the European Union: Progress, Persistent Gaps, and Untapped Potential

Employment among immigrants in the European Union has reached its highest level since 2017, yet important differences remain across origin groups, countries and demographic characteristics. While EU immigrants frequently match or exceed native employment rates across Member States, substantial employment disadvantages remain concentrated among non-EU immigrant women and highly educated non-EU immigrants, pointing to significant untapped labour market potential.

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No. 5/26 - June 2026

The Refugee Population in Europe in 2025: A Decade of Growth Comes to a Halt

The rapid growth of Europe's refugee population has come to an end. Drawing on new UNHCR data, this report shows how falling asylum inflows, the naturalisation of earlier refugee cohorts in Germany, and a reform of temporary protection in Italy are reshaping refugee numbers.

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No. 4/26 - May 2026

Immigrant Educational Attainment in the European Union: Origin, Gender and Cross-Country Differences

This report examines educational attainment among natives, EU-born immigrants, and non-EU-born immigrants across the European Union, highlighting how differences by origin, gender, and country continue to shape educational outcomes despite a general rise in tertiary attainment since 2017.

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News

RFBerlin research and researchers are regularly featured in the press.

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Press release

29 Oct 2026

Flexibility in collective agreements can improve competitiveness
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Press release

18 Oct 2026

When a younger sibling has a disability, it places a strain on older children
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Press

8 Oct 2026

Interview with Deputy Director Alexandra Spitz-Oener on rbb Inforadio
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Press

1 Oct 2026

Deputy Director Alexandra Spitz-Oener featured in multiple media outlets
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Tweets by @RF_Berlin

rf_berlin

ROCKWOOL Foundation Berlin

Verified account @rf_berlin ·
6h

🧠 Research Insight
How can collective bargaining balance flexibility for firms with protection for workers?

Research by Christian Dustmann, Bernd Fitzenberger and Lorenzo Incoronato examines evidence from Germany and Italy.

πŸ” Greater flexibility can help firms adapt and

Reply on Twitter 2115791618397569427 Retweet on Twitter 2115791618397569427 Like on Twitter 2115791618397569427 1
rf_berlin

ROCKWOOL Foundation Berlin

Verified account @rf_berlin ·
27 Oct

πŸŽ“οΈ Today we had the pleasure to host Prof. Michael Keane (Johns Hopkins University) at the RFBerlin Applied Economics Seminar series, where he presented on "Human Capital and Optimal Taxation"!

Click the link for more info on events at RFBerlin πŸ”— https://buff.ly/qosqIX2

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rf_berlin

ROCKWOOL Foundation Berlin

Verified account @rf_berlin ·
27 Oct

πŸ—žοΈ The weekly release of our Discussion Paper Series!
You find more here: https://buff.ly/B8AMvLL

Reply on Twitter 2115054408673210838 Retweet on Twitter 2115054408673210838 1 Like on Twitter 2115054408673210838 1
rf_berlin

ROCKWOOL Foundation Berlin

Verified account @rf_berlin ·
23 Oct

RFBerlin Director Christian Dustmann presented "Understanding Immigration's Labor Market Effects" at the Immigration Policy Lab's Science of International Migration Seminar (SIMS) series! Watch his full talk here:

Reply on Twitter 2113616749694259684 Retweet on Twitter 2113616749694259684 2 Like on Twitter 2113616749694259684 4

Upcoming events

RFBerlin hosts a wide array of events aimed at fostering academic research and collaboration.

Brown Bag Seminar

4 November 2026

TomΓ‘Ε‘ Jagelka (University of Bonn)

Separating Preferences, Skills, and other Latent Personal Attributes from Endogenous Effort and Cognitive Noise

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Masterclass

5 Nov – 6 Nov 2026

Racial Inequality in the Labor Market

Taught by Kerwin Charles and Ellora Derenoncourt

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Applied Economics Seminar

17 November 2026

Evan K. Rose (University of Chicago)

Employment Opportunities and Jail Bookings: Evidence from Hiring Assessment Thresholds

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Handbook of Labor Economics – Chapter Previews

In anticipation of the upcoming Handbook of Labor Economics, we offer early access to select chapters through our Discussion Papers series. Following our 2023 conference on this new edition, first chapters are now available for preview, featuring insights from leading research in economics and labor.

Preview Chapters
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