Research Projects

A new occupational disability insurance in the statutory pension insurance scheme

A large group of people is unable to keep up with the increasing retirement age and remain in the workforce until retirement for health reasons. The disability pension that exists today is only suitable to a limited extent to protect this group. The decisive factor for the reduced earning capacity is not the last activity performed, but all activities "under the usual conditions of the general...

Academic support and advice for the further development of the European emissions trading system (EU ETS) in the context of the revision of the EU ETS Directive (2003/87/EC)

With the objective to improve the efficiency und effectiveness of the European emissions trading system (EU ETS) the Commission has launched a Europe-wide review process for the amendment of the EU ETS Directive (2003/87/EC). Important topics are the scope of the Directive, the robust compliance and enforcement, further harmonization and increased predictability, and the linking with emissions...

Accurate Income Measurement for the Assessment of Public Policies (AIM-AP)

AIM-AP was an integrated programme of research and development funded by the European Commission (Sixth Framework Programme) aimed at improving the comparability, scope and applicability of tools, methods and data for the measurement of income and the analysis of the effects of policies on inequality, poverty and social inclusion. It started in February 2006 and finished in January 2009. Further...

ADaptation And Mitigation Strategies for Europe (ADAM)

ADAM is an integrated research project running from 2006 to 2009 that will lead to a better understanding of the trade-offs and conflicts that exist between adaptation and mitigation policies. ADAM will support EU policy development in the next stage of the development of the Kyoto Protocol and will inform the emergence of new adaptation strategies for Europe.The core objectives are: to assess...

Adequacy and sustainability of old-age income maintenance (AIM)

AIM ist ein Projekt im sechsten europäischen Forschungsrahmenprogramm des Forschungsnetzwerks ENEPRI. Ein Modul des Projekts wird von der Abteilung Staat in Kooperation mit den Forschungseinrichtungen Federaal Planbureau (FPB) aus Belgien und Istituto di Studi e Analisi Economica (ISAE) aus Italien bearbeitet. Mit den Kooperationspartnern entwickelt die Abteilung Staat das dynamische...

Affective and cultural dimensions of integration following forced migration and immigration (AFFIN)

The project takes its starting point in the assumption that the diversity and cultural change resulting from immigration cannot be measured solely in terms of knowledge and skills, but are fundamentally connected with values, attitudes, and emotions on the part of both immigrants and local populations. Based on approaches from the research on integration and acculturation in the social sciences...

Ageing, Health and Retirement in Europe (AGIR)

This project focuses on the question whether increasing life expectancy is related to extending life in better health as bio-metric research in the US suggests. If this is also true for Europe, it will have great impact on the health and long-term care utilisation as well as on the retirement decision and the sustainability of social security systems. The impact of a higher level of healthiness...

Ageing, Health Status and Determinants of Health Expenditure (AHEAD)

Expenditure on medical treatment has risen as a proportion of national income throughout the European Union. There is a particular concern that, with an ageing population and therefore the prospect of more elderly people, the pressures for expenditure on health care will escalate. This issue is of concern both in its own terms and because of its fiscal implications. This project will refine...

Analysis and forecast of the demographic development, the household composition and the number of active population in Germany and the regions

The size and structure of the population as well as of households are main determinants of the economic development and the labour force. The demographic change has an impact on the sustainability of the social security system, the educational system and the housing market. In view of the importance of the demographic development on all parts of the society DIW developed three forecasting models,...

Analysis of the performance of the official statistics for the measurement the productivity of knowledge-intensive services

The objective of the study is to analyze the performance of the official statistics for the measurement the productivity of knowledge-intensive services. The study will be executed in two steps. In the first step, concept of productivity measurement common in official statistics is discussed critically, and the development of productivity measured on this basis in the field of the knowledge...

Assessing and Enhancing the Quality of Longitudinal Survey Data

Australia has begun investing heavily in the collection of population‑wide longitudinal survey data. Most of that effort has focused first on collection and dissemination and second on analysis, with scant attention paid to the quality of data collected. This is unfortunate given that longitudinal surveys exhibit many problems (e.g., attrition, panel conditioning, and seam effects) that are not...

Assessing Needs of Care in European Nations (ANCIEN)

The post-war baby boom is turning into a grandparent boom, putting a triple stress on long-term care (LTC) provisions: increased numbers of elderly, increased survival of these elderly and increased survival of frail, disabled elderly through improved care and health care. Epidemiological trends such as smoking cessation and obesity will increase care dependence. At the same time the supply of...

Assessment and Further Development of the Renewable Energy Act

This project reviewed the adjustments of the feed-in tariffs for new solar photovoltaic (PV) installations in Germany. As PV system prices declined rapidly since 2009, the German government implemented automatic mechanisms to adjust the remuneration level for new installations in response to deployment volumes. The project developed an analytic model to simulate weekly installations of PV systems...

Bank lending under BASEL III: The contribution of unconventional monetary policy

The project examines the extent to which bank lending has changed since the financial crisis and which factors play a role. One focus of the analysis is the impact of unconventional monetary policy on lending behavior and profitability in the banking sector.

Banking Sector Diversity: Does it matter for sector stability and SME financing?

The question of what banking sector diversity actually means and what it impliesfor the funding of small and medium sized firms (SMEs) and for banking sectorstability is still open, and this is particularly relevant since the financial crisis hashit the European countries. In fact, the crisis raised doubts if previous researchthat finds comparative advantages for more concentrated banking sectors...

Berlin Aging Study II (BASE-II): Health and Cognitive Functioning across the Lifespan

Lars Bertram (Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics), Co-Speaker Ulman Lindenberger (Max Planck Institute for Human Development), Co-Speaker Elisabeth Steinhagen-Thiessen (Research Group on Geriatrics at the Charité), Co-Speaker Gert G. Wagner (German Socio-Economic Panel Study and Max Planck Institute for Human Development), Speaker Lars Bäckman (Karolinska Institute, Sweden) Hauke...

Berlin Interdisciplinary Education Research Network (BIEN)

In Berlin, many universities and research institutes deal with education research. The “Berlin Interdisciplinary Education Research Network (BIEN) ” offers young scientists (Post-Docs, doctoral students and Master students) from different disciplines in education research a forum to network systematically and exchange research ideas and experiences. The BIEN network is funded by the BMBF and...

Berliner Studienberechtigtenpanel BEST UP

Students from families with no academic experience are still underrepresented at German Universities, despite the fact that they obtain a university-entrance degree; they often take up another track of post-secondary education. What measures of educational policy could influence students to rather take up tertiary education than an alternative track? A new research project jointly conducted by DIW...

Beschäftigungs- und Tarifpolitik bei der Deutschen Bahn: Ein Modell zur Sicherung von Arbeitsplätzen im wettbewerblichen Umfeld?

Biased beliefs in dynamic decisions

In many dynamic decision problems, the relevant market prices and budget constraints are random variables whose realizations lie in the future. This makes optimal decision-making difficult as optimality requires an accurate quantification and interpretation of the dynamic processes operating in the market. The studies in this project model and test the agents’ expectations about relevant...