Topic Digitalization

Digital Economy Workshop Berlin, 2025

The workshop aims to bring together researchers from Economics, Information Systems, Law, Marketing, Strategy, and related fields who study Digitization. For inquiries dew2025@diw.de Event page

Let's Switch to the Cloud: Cloud Usage and Its Effect on Labor Productivity

The advent of cloud computing promises to improve the way firms use IT solutions. Firms are expected to replace large and inflexible fixed-cost investments in IT with more targeted, variable spending on cloud solutions. This is also expected to increase firms' productivity by allowing them to quickly adapt their IT infrastructure to their specific needs. We assess this claim using firm-level data provided ...

Who Is AI Replacing? The Impact of Generative AI on Online Freelancing Platforms

This paper studies the impact of generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies on the demand for online freelancers using a large data set from a leading global freelancing platform. We identify the types of jobs that are more affected by generative AI and quantify the magnitude of the heterogeneous impact. Our findings indicate a 21% decrease in the number of job posts for automation-prone ...

A Retrospective Study of State Aid Control in the German Broadband Market

We provide an evaluation of the impact of German public subsidy schemes in municipalities of Bavaria and Lower Saxony aimed at supporting the deployment of basic broadband infrastructure in rural Germany. Such subsidies are subject to state aid control by the European Commission and may only be granted if the potential market failure is addressed without distorting competition. We first analyse the ...

To Diversify or Not? The Link between Global Sourcing of ICT Goods And Firm Performance

We analyse variation in firm performance as a function of the international diversification of ICT imports by firms. Drawing on administrative data from 2010 and 2014 on nearly 4000 German manufacturing firms, we find that firms with ICT sourcing that is diversified across multiple countries perform better than similar, less-diversified firms. This finding holds true for two performance metrics (value ...

The WBdigital Database: A Digital Repository for the Historical DIW-Wochenbericht, 1928–1968

Economic and social scientists are increasingly interested in historical data, but many relevant sources are still available in analog form, limiting accessibility and research potential. This article introduces the WBdigital database, which aims to improve this situation. The database provides digital access to the DIW Wochenbericht (1928–1968), including its economic texts and time series data covering ...

Bitcoin Is Not the New Gold

The price of cryptocurrency Bitcoin has risen sharply over the past ten years, with many investors adding Bitcoin to their portfolios, benefitting from price increases and diversifying their investments. But is Bitcoin suitable for this purpose? This Weekly Report examines the extent to which Bitcoin, like gold, can contribute to the diversification of an investment portfolio. To achieve this, we have ...

Understanding Energy Savings in a Crisis: The Role of Prices and Non-monetary Factors

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 was accompanied by a significant reduction of its gas supply to Europe, causing sharp energy price surges and prompting governments to respond with public appeals and programs aimed at reducing consumption. This paper investigates the effects of price increases and non-monetary factors, such as public appeals and saving programs, on residential energy savings during ...

Analyzing ECB Communications Improves Forecasting of Interest Rate Decisions

For central banks, official communications serve as essential monetary policy instruments: In press releases, speeches, and interviews, central banks explain their decisions, manage expectations, and promote confidence in their strategy. This Weekly Report analyzes European Central Bank (ECB) communications from January 2019 to March 2025 using a specially trained artificial intelligence (AI) text ...

BCCP Conference and Policy Forum 2024 AI: Prospects, Challenges, and Regulation (Part I): Session I