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Research

Fact of the day

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
Migration & Global Collaboration
Migration & Global Collaboration
Technology, Trade & Human Capital
Technology, Trade & Human Capital

Discussion papers

No. 13/26 - January 2026

The Virtuous Cycle Between Skills and Technology

Sascha O. Becker, Christian Dustmann, Hyejin Ku

No. 12/26 - January 2026

The Long Run Economic Effects of Medical Innovation and the Role of Opportunities

Sonia Bhalotra, Damian Clarke, Atheendar Venkataramani

No. 11/26 - January 2026

Pension Wealth and the Timing of Retirement

Torben M. Andersen, Anne Katrine Borgbjerg, Jonas Maibom

No. 10/26 - January 2026

A Wartime Labor Market

Tito Boeri, Giacomo Anastasia, Oleksandr Zholud

Research Insights

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

No. 1/26 - January 2026

From Steam Power to Artificial Intelligence: What the Past Can Teach Us About the Future of Work

Regional inequalities remain a central issue in public and policy debates. Where do such disparities originate? And what policies can reduce them? A new study traces these inequalities back to the introduction of a transformative technology: the steam engine.

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No. 5/25 - December 2025

Immigration, Jobs and Wages: Separating Regional and Worker Effects

How does immigration affect jobs and wages? Public debates often conflate regional labour market outcomes with the experiences of individual workers. The effects of immigration on โ€œplacesโ€ and โ€œpeopleโ€ may differ considerably.

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No. 6/25 - December 2025

Migration, Beschรคftigung und Lรถhne: Regionale und individuelle Effekte

Wie wirkt sich Migration auf Arbeitsplรคtze und Lรถhne aus? In รถffentlichen Debatten werden Effekte auf regionale Arbeitsmรคrkte hรคufig mit den individuellen Erfahrungen von Arbeitnehmern vermischt. Die Studie macht deutlich, dass die Effekte der Immigration auf Regionen und auf beschรคftigte Arbeitnehmer sehr unterschiedlich sein kรถnnen.

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News

RFBerlin research and researchers are regularly featured in the press.

Press release

15 Jan 2026

The steam engine still drives the German economy – Lessons for the introduction of artificial intelligence
View article
Press

27 Dec 2025 โ€ข DIE ZEIT

Claudia Goldin on Why Pay Transparency Alone Is Not Enough
View article
Press release

16 Dec 2025

Do Immigrants Take Nativesโ€™ Jobs? New Study Shows the Answer Depends on How You Measure It
View article
Research Insights

16 Dec 2025

Immigration, Jobs and Wages: Separating Regional and Worker Effects
View article

Tweets by @RF_Berlin

๐Ÿ†• RFBerlin Discussion Paper! Mika Akesaka & @HitoshiShigeoka find that seasonal allergies increase traffic accidents and workplace injuries, illustrating how health shocks generate broader externalities.
๐Ÿ”— https://www.rfberlin.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/26007.pdf

Urban-Biased Structural Change
๐Ÿ†•RFBerlin Discussion Paper! @HorngChernWong, @DennisNovy, Carlo Perroni & Natalie Chen show how rapid urban structural change affected the urban\city divide by boosting city amenities and containing wages for superstar urban service firms.
๐Ÿ”—

(1/5)๐Ÿง RFBerlin Research Insights: New research by Becker, Dustmann & Ku โ€” “The Virtuous Cycle Between Skills and Technology” โ€” reveals how the steam engine, the AI of the 19th century, created regional economic gaps that persist 150 years later.

Applied PhD students in labor & data-heavy economics: this is for you.
A two-day intensive masterclass on Tasks, Technology, and Labor Demand with Fredric Kong (MIT) co coauthor with Acemoglu & Restrepo.
๐Ÿ‘‰ Apply now: https://form.typeform.com/to/Wv6YAAXU
๐Ÿ”— Event details:

Upcoming events

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

RFBerlin Masterclass

12 Mar โ€“ 13 Mar 2026

“Tasks At Work: Comparative Advantage, Technology and Labor Demand” by Fredric Kong

RFBerlin Event

26 Mar โ€“ 27 Mar 2026

RFBerlin Migration Forum

Migration: Drivers, Consequences, and Governance

Conference

16 Apr โ€“ 17 Apr 2026

Health and Economic Well-Being: Evidence, Policy, and Frontiers

Handbook of Labor Economics โ€“ 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.

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