ROCKWOOL Foundation Berlin

🎓️ Today we had the pleasure to host Prof. Michael Keane (Johns Hopkins University) at the RFBerlin Applied Economics Seminar series, where he presented on "Human Capital and Optimal Taxation"! Click the link for more info on events at RFBerlin 🔗 buff.ly/qosqIX2

🗞️ The weekly release of our Discussion Paper Series! You find more here: buff.ly/B8AMvLL

RFBerlin Director Christian Dustmann presented "Understanding Immigration's Labor Market Effects" at the Immigration Policy Lab's Science of International Migration Seminar (SIMS) series! Watch his full talk here: buff.ly/U0s37A4

⏳ Just a few weeks left to submit to the RFBerlin Migration Forum 2027. We welcome research on migration, integration, economic competitiveness, and more. 📅 Submission deadline: 8 November buff.ly/6AGaONk

Next week Tuesday 27 October, we welcome Prof. Michael Keane (Johns Hopkins University) to Berlin for our Applied Economics Seminar Series! He will give a seminar on "Human Capital and Optimal Taxation". It's open to the public, we look forward to seeing you there! Event details 🔗: buff.ly/JV9sSfY

With closing remarks by RFBerlin Director Christian Dustmann today's workshop comes to an end. Thank you to everyone involved, it was an inspiring day! 🎉

To close off the day, we are pleased to welcome our keynote speaker Prof. W. Bentley MacLeod (@yale.edu, @columbiauniversity.bsky.social), with his talk on "What are the implications of computational complexity for law and economics?".

Before we have our last coffee break, RFBerlin Deputy Director Alexandra Spitz-Oener (HU Berlin) presents on "AI and the Transformation of Firm Work".

Now, RFBerlin Senior Research Officers Izabela Wnuk-Soares and Jakob Wegmann present in turn. First we have Izabela on "Immigration and Employment in Long-Term Care: Evidence from EU Enlargement", followed by Jakob on "Diversity in Small Samples".

We resume after the lunch break with a presentation on "Routes to Retirement: Pension Design, Health, and Occupation" by RFBerlin Associate Courtney Brell.

Up next we have Jérôme Adda, (Project Leader RFBerlin & Bocconi) presenting "Structural Change, Occupational Choice, and Health Outcomes" and RFBerlin Deputy Director Hyejin Ku (@ucleconomics.bsky.social) speaking on "The China Shock in Science: Shoulders or Toes?".

Up next before the coffee break we have Stan de Ruijter van Steveninck of @ucleconomics.bsky.social presenting: Embodied Displacement: Suppliers’ Automation and Downstream Workers

After an opening address by deputy director Hyejin Ku, we start our RFBerlin Workshop on Topics in Applied Microeconomics with the first presentation by RFBerlin Project Leader @ineshelmecon.bsky.social on "Firm Expansion in Imperfect Labor Markets".

...and that's it! The RFBerlin Annual Public Lecture with Prof. Janet Currie was a big success! We want to thank everyone involved and look back on amazing event! 🎉

With a warm welcome by RFBerlin Director Christian Dustmann, we are excited to kick off the Annual Public Lecture with Prof. Janet Currie (Yale University) on Investing in Child Mental Health! 🎉 ➡️ In case you couldn't make it to the event, follow the lecture on our livestream: buff.ly/0WKUir1

🎓 RFBerlin Annual Public Lecture today at 16:00! Prof. Janet Currie (Yale) will deliver her lecture on Investing in Child Mental Health. 📍 Humboldt University Berlin, Spandauer Straße 1, lecture hal 201 🎟️ FREE, registration required: buff.ly/uY3WWVs 💻 Livestream: buff.ly/xxuTtxH See you there! 🎉

📰 RFBerlin Director Christian Dustmann spoke to WELT about the need for a more flexible German labor market. He emphasized helping firms adapt to economic change through longer fixed-term contracts and tax incentives that encourage workers to change jobs. 🗞️ Read here: buff.ly/ZnDce0l

🎓 Tomorrow at 16:00: Prof. Janet Currie delivers the RFBerlin Annual Public Lecture on child mental health! 🧠 Our latest Research Insight explores how childhood disability affects siblings’ mental health and how public support can help. 🎟️ Registration: buff.ly/7sjLHTj 🔗 Read: buff.ly/R46mtzI

🗞️ The weekly release of our Discussion Paper Series! You find more here: buff.ly/B8AMvLL

🧠 Research Insight How do municipalities respond to changes in funding? Research by Ines Helm and Jan Stuhler finds that additional transfers boost infrastructure investment, while revenue losses trigger faster spending cuts than gains trigger increases. Read more about it here: 🔗 buff.ly/Xy6w88c

Yesterday, we had the pleasure of welcoming Lukasz Rachel, Associate Professor at @ucl.ac.uk who presented “Leisure-Enhancing Technological Change” as part of our Applied Economics Seminar series. Click the link below to stay informed on all events at RFBerlin. buff.ly/QSo6Aan

On October 21 we welcome Professor W. Bentley MacLeod (Yale University, Columbia University) for our Applied Economics Seminar series! He will give a keynote on "The Economics of Professional Decision-Making: Can Artificial Intelligence Reduce Decision Uncertainty?". For details 🔗: buff.ly/5qJmZKk

🗞️ The weekly release of our Discussion Paper Series! You find more here: buff.ly/B8AMvLL

⌛ 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗹𝗲𝗳𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗙𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗟𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲! On 𝗧𝘂𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟬 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 at 𝟭𝟲:𝟬𝟬, 𝗝𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘁 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲 will give her lecture on 𝘐𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘔𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩: 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘏𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘊𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘋𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵. 🆓 Admission is free, but registration is required ➡️ buff.ly/o1IGUKZ

Warmest congratulations to both laureates of the 2026 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences! Robert E. Hall (Stanford University) and Michael Woodford (Columbia University) were honoured for their work on the microeconomic foundations of macroeconomic stabilisation.

🧠 How do small firms adapt to parental leave? Research on 33,000+ births in Austria finds that firms hire replacements ahead of leave, mostly women, while relying more on existing male employees. Overall costs remain stable, but workplace dynamics shift. 🔗 Read about it here: buff.ly/1yogl8M

RFBerlin Project Leader Albrecht Glitz was interviewed by rbb Inforadio following the publication of his Research Insight "When Knowledge Crosses Borders – Economic Espionage and Technological Progress". 🔗 listen here: buff.ly/deM8V60

𝗢𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗙𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗟𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗝𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘁 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲! Join us on Tuesday 20 October 16:00 at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin for her lecture on "𝘐𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘔𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩, 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘏𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘊𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘋𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵". 🆓 Free admission | 🎟️ Register now: buff.ly/2EWWVcT

𝗜𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗹𝗲𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀? Lukasz Rachel (UCL) examines how the attention economy shifts innovation—and its effects on welfare. Join our Applied Economics Seminar, no registration needed, just come by! 🗓 13 Oct, 14:00 📍 Gormannstrasse 22 🔗 buff.ly/WMr6wu9

🗞️ The weekly release of our Discussion Paper Series! You find more here: buff.ly/B8AMvLL

RFBerlin Director Christian Dustmann was interviewed by The Marker on Europe’s approaches to immigration a decade after the 2015 refugee crisis. He discussed migration’s economic and social effects and the importance of well-managed, democratically controlled policies. Read more: buff.ly/WC1NC4F

🗞️ The weekly release of our Discussion Paper Series! You find more here: buff.ly/B8AMvLL

🧠 What happens to workers’ careers when an economic system changes almost overnight? New research by Alexandra Spitz-Oener examines how German reunification reshaped occupational mobility - creating opportunities for advancement, but also risks of downward mobility and job loss. 🔗 buff.ly/2qF8aFV

📢 RFBerlin is hiring Postdoctoral Fellows in Economics. No teaching obligations, up to six years, unique datasets, and dedicated mentoring, a research-first home in Berlin. Apply by 10 November: buff.ly/v9Jz8ru #EconJobMarket #EconSky

📢 Call for papers is now open! The RFBerlin Migration Forum returns for a third year, in Berlin on 18–19 March 2027. Deadline 8 November. Details & submission: buff.ly/3ztcmmo

That's it for our first Joint Annual ROCKWOOL workshop! ✨️We were delighted to welcome our Danish colleagues to Berlin and are already looking forward to continuing the tradition in Copenhagen next year. Thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make the first edition such a memorable one! 🎉

Our last session is on Jobs, Pay & Labor Market Differences. Aiko Schmeißer speaks on "Perceptions of Race in the Labor Market", Mette Rasmussen on "Pay and Amenities on the Move", and Dogan Gülümser on "Old and New Jobs: Understanding Wage Formation, Sorting, and Firm Behavior".

Time for Session 2 - Social Insurance, Credit & Economic Security. Clément Brébion presented on "Access to Unemployment Insurance and the Persistence of Non-Employment", Martin Wiegand on "Cities with Benefits" and Pietro Campa on "Born Sub-Prime: Long-Term Impact of Early-Life Credit Access".

When a job ad lists a perk, workers read more into it than you'd think, and it quietly warps how we measure what a job is worth. Simon Jäger (@simonjaeger.bsky.social) will present the research at the RFBerlin Seminar next week. More: buff.ly/KVHB6vy

Starting off with Session 1 on Gender, Family & Harassment, we have Jiwon Lee on "The Gendered Effects of Children on Household Relocation", Sarah Gharbi on "The Impact of Motherhood Beyond Gross Labor Earnings" and Barbara Bille Tagmose on "Sexual Harassment in Tertiary Education".

This morning we kicked off our first Annual ROCKWOOL Workshop! 🎉 RFBerlin Director Christian Dustmann warmly welcomed our colleagues from Denmark. We look forward to an exciting day of presentations, networking and academic exchange!

🧠 Does economic espionage pay off? Research by Glitz, Lerche & Mergele uses Cold War-era East Germany to examine whether secretly acquired technological knowledge translates into economic gains. Their estimate: espionage raised East German GDP by 7.4% by the end of the 1980s. 🔗 buff.ly/Tp6iFpM