Research Projects

Studies on Ecological Tax Reform

The ecological tax reform integrates both economic incentives of environmental policy and tax reform issues. DIW Berlin participated in the policy debate since the early 90ies in Germany with several studies.

Studies on the German Innovation System: R&D-intensive Industries and Knowledge-intensive Services in International Comparison

Study on monetizing privacy: An economic model for pricing personal information

The research project's main question is the formalisation of the relative value of personal information for consumers in economic transactions in a sitation where they compare two service providers. The report's results will be based on a duopoly model and implementation of a lab as well as field experiment with which the model will be empirically validated. The full report is available for...

Study on the future shape of the special compensation regulation under § 40 ff. EEG

Previous to the 2014 revision of the Renewable Energy Act (Erneuerbare Energien Gesetz, EEG) this study added to the discussion around cost reliefs for many industrial enterprises. These reliefs were criticized for increasing electricity costs for non-privileged consumers, without any assessment whether privileged firms were actually exposed to international competition. The study develops...

Study on the impact of State aid rules for banks in difficulty

The study will provide a quantitative and qualitative assessment of the impact of the State aid rules for banks, which will serve as evidence for the evaluation of the State aid rules applicable to banks in difficulty since their entry into force in end-2008.

Study on the investment behavior of electricity and gas network operators as part of the evaluation report in accordance with § 33 para. 1 ARegV

Study on the investment behavior of electricity and gas network operators as part of the evaluation report in accordance with § 33 para. 1 ARegV (in German only)

Study on the possibility to set up a carbon border adjustment mechanism on selected sectors

The European Green Deal includes the goal of enshrining the long-term objective of climate neutrality by 2050 in legislation and increasing the EU’s climate by 2030. In this context, the Green Deal emphasized that “should differences in levels of ambition worldwide persist, as the EU increases its climate ambition, the Commission will propose a carbon border adjustment mechanism, for selected...

Studying Regional Development Dynamics and their Political Consequences: SOEP RegioHub at Bielefeld University

Leibniz ScienceCampus SOEP-RegioHub at Bielefeld University (SOEP@UBi) Living conditions in Germany today show evidence of increasing and rapidly changing regional disparities in structural, demographic and economic domains. These disparities often take the form of an adverse access to health care facilities, childcare provision, education and other public services as well as regional labour...

Supplementary SOEP sample in the areas receiving assistance through the Structural Development Act for Coal-Mining Regions

The Structural Development Act for Coal-Mining Regions entered into force on August 14, 2020. In this context, the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs, and Spatial Development at the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning (BBSR) has been commissioned to establish a Competence Center for Regional Development to provide scientific support for structural change, to...

Support study for the evaluation of the rules for operating aid under the EU aviation framework applicable as of 2014

As part of the evaluation process of the current State aid rules, the European Commission has awarded to the consortium of Lear, DIW Berlin, and Sheppard Mullin, a specific contract to carry out a study to support its evaluation of the rules regarding access of airports to operating aid under the EU Aviation Framework applicable as of 2014 (2014 Aviation Guidelines or the Guidelines). The study...

Support study for the revision of the EU guidelines on state aid for environmental protection and energy (EEAG)

The European Commission (DG Competition) commissioned an international consortium of DIW Berlin together with E.CA Economics, LEAR, University of East Anglia and Sheppard Mullin with a background study on State aid in the field of environmental protection and energy. The results of the study will support the Commission in the revision of the EU Guidelines on State aid for environmental protection...

Support Vector Machines

Sustainability Economics

Project DescriptionProject Homepage

Sustainable Finance Research Platform (pilot stage)

The Sustainable Finance Research Platform is a network of five German research institutions that have been conducting intensive research on sustainable finance for many years. The aim of the platform is to provide scientific support in answering key social, political and private sector questions, to provide established and emerging knowledge and to play an advisory role in the political and public...

Tax Policy and Entrepreneurial Choice: Empirical Evidence from Germany

The goal of this project is to empirically analyse if taxes serve as a barrier to entrepreneurship, and if tax cuts can promote the birth of new firms and influence their survival. To answer these questions, the project will empirically investigate the relationship between financial returns to entrepreneurship and entrepreneural entry and exit decisions at the individual level. The theoretical...

Telecommunications Policies in Comparison: Industrial Policy Indicators

The demand for minerals

The economic impact of enforcement of competition policies on the functioning of EU energy markets

The study can be downloaded from the European Commission's website.

The Economic Significance of Technology and Innovation Support Programmes for Small and Medium-Sized Companies

The aim of the study is to evaluate the support of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology for technology and innovation activities in small and medium sized companies and, hence, to derive recommendations for adjustments in the portfolio of support programmes in order to strengthen growth in small and medium sized companies. Free download (in German only): http://www.bmwi.de/DE...

The effect of pension reforms on old age poverty

This project analyses various reform and labour market scenarios with regard to their impact on old-age poverty in the period up to 2045. These are changes to the lower limit for the level of protection in the GRV (holding lines), the pension adjustment rule, a higher retirement age, a generous exemption scheme for pension income from the GRV for basic security, and increased gainful employment at...