Publikationen des Vorstandsbereichs

German Economy in Good Shape: DIW Economic Outlook

The German economy is in the midst of a robust economic cycle: the number of employed persons has reached historic highs and is still increasing powerfully; private household income is on the rise; and the public coffers are overflowing. Inflation is rising only gradually, partly because capacities are not overburdened. The mood is bright among consumers and firms alike, with economic development distributed ...

German Economy on Track: Editorial

The Gender Gap in Competitiveness: Women Shy away from Competing with Others, but Not from Competing with Themselves

Women are less willing than men to compete against others. This gender gap can partially explain the differences between women’s and men’s education and career choices, and the labor market disparities that result. The experiments presented here show that even though women are less willing than men to compete against others, they are just as willing as men are to take on the challenge of improving ...

Real Hourly Wages: Low-Paid Workers Are Not Being Left Behind: Eight Questions for Alexander Kritikos

Hourly Wages in Lower Deciles No Longer Lagging behind When It Comes to Wage Growth

For many years, only better-paid workers benefited from Germany’s real wage increases. In contrast, dependent employees with lower hourly wages suffered substantial losses, while the low-wage sector expanded. Around 2010, these trends came to an end. Now all wage groups benefit from wage increases—even if those in the middle of the distribution lag somewhat behind. At the very least, this new pattern ...

German Economy: Strong Employment Growth, Weak Investment Activity: DIW Economic Outlook

The German economy's upward growth trend continues, with the economic output expected to increase by 1.4 percent this year with slightly overloaded capacities. Employment growth remains strong with the creation of 600,000 new jobs, which has in turn led to an increase in private consumption – one of the key growth drivers of the German economy. The higher inflation rates are dampening purchasing power, ...

Despite Uncertainty in the Global Economy, Germany Is on a Solid Growth Path: Editorial

Policy Goals in the Eyes of the Public: Preservation of the Liberal Democratic Order Remains Most Important

More than just a few politicians and scientists see an imbalance in policy’s primary orientation toward economic goals, especially the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). In view of scientific and public discourses on prosperity, this report analyzes how voting-eligible Germans, the electorate, rated the significance of different policy areas in 2013 and again at the beginning of 2017. It is based on two ...

Companies Should Have More Women on All Levels of the Hierarchy: Seven Questions for Elke Holst

Financial Sector: Banks Fall behind and Now Have a Lower Proportion of Women on Executive and Advisory Boards than Insurance Companies

Women are still in the clear minority among the financial sector’s top decision-making bodies. According to DIW Berlin’s Women Executives Barometer, at the end of 2016, 21 percent of the supervisory and administrative board members of the 100 largest banks were female. The number has stagnated compared to last year. Since 2010, when the discussion about the gender quota for supervisory boards gained ...